Art Bank Collective

The Art Bank Collective sits in Totnes, a town that already feels halfway to being an artwork itself. You're walking into a proper working gallery space where local and regional artists show their stuff - paintings, sculpture, prints, the lot. It's the kind of place where the artists are often about, so you can actually talk to the people who made the work rather than just reading a laminated card on the wall.

What strikes you most is how un-stuffy it all feels. This isn't some rarefied London gallery where you're afraid to breathe near the installation. Instead there's a real sense of artists getting on with their practice and letting people see what they're doing. You can spend twenty minutes or two hours depending on how deep you want to go with it.

The Collective works best for anyone with even a passing interest in contemporary work - painters and sculptors particularly. Families with older kids will find it engaging enough, though younger ones might not linger long. The space itself has that creative energy you get from places where making things is taken seriously.

Totnes itself is worth a proper wander afterwards. It's got a castle, independent shops that actually stock interesting things, and decent cafes. If you're staying at Ashbourne Woods just down the road, the Collective makes for a solid morning or afternoon break from the park routine without needing to travel far. Check ahead on opening times and whether there's an admission charge, but either way it's worth the detour when you're in the area.